Giants Place Five Players on Injured Reserve: The New York Giants placed the following players on season-ending Injured Reserve on Tuesday:

OG Geoff Schwartz (ankle)

OG Adam Snyder (knee)

DE Mathias Kiwanuka (knee)

DE Robert Ayers (pectoral)

LB Terrell Manning (ankle)

The Giants now have 19 players on Injured Reserve and one more (CB Bennett Jackson) on the Practice Squad/Injured Reserve.

Although the Giants placed five players on Injured Reserve, the team can replace only four on the roster. Terrell Manning was signed last week from the Cincinnati Bengals’ Practice Squad. According to NFL rules, he cannot be replaced on the 53-man roster for three weeks after moving from a Practice Squad to the 53-man roster, even if he is placed on Injured Reserve.

To fill the four open vacancies, the Giants signed:

RB Chris Ogbonnaya (ex-Rams, Texans, Browns, Panthers)

OG Eric Herman (Giants Practice Squad)

DT Dominique Hamilton (Giants Practice Squad)

LB James Davidson (Giants Practice Squad)

Ogbonnaya was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. Since then he has played for the Rams (2009), Texans (2011), Browns (2011-13), and Panthers (2014). Ogbonnaya has played in 51 games with 12 starts and has carried the ball 158 times for 710 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 96 catches for 714 yards and two touchdowns. Ogbonnaya is a big back with good speed. He has good hands catching the ball.

Herman was signed to the Practice Squad in September 2014 after being suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Herman also spent most of 2013 on the Practice Squad before being added to the active roster in late December. Herman was drafted in the 7th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Giants. Herman is a big, strong mauler who struggled with quickness and speed at the collegiate level. He needs to develop as a pass blocker in order to make it in the NFL.

Dominique Hamilton was signed to the Practice Squad in September 2014. Hamilton originally signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2012 NFL Draft. The Raiders cut him and was on NFL practice squads in 2012 (Redskins) and 2013 (Redskins and Chiefs). The Chiefs waived him in August 2014. Hamilton looks the part with excellent size and long arms. He’s not overly quick or agile. Hamilton is a better run defender than pass rusher.

The Giants signed James Davidson to the Practice Squad in September 2014. Davidson was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as a rookie free agent after the 2014 NFL Draft. He was waived on August 26. Davidson was an undersized collegiate defensive end who projects to linebacker at the pro level. Whether he has the overall athleticism and instincts for the position remains to be seen. Obviously, he is a project.

Giants Sign Three Players to the Practice Squad: To fill the Practice Squad vacancies created by signing OG Eric Herman, DT Dominique Hamilton, and LB James Davidson to the 53-man roster, the New York Giants signed the following players to the Practice Squad on Tuesday:

DE Jordan Stanton

LB Paul Hazel

OG Rishaw Johnson

Jordan Stanton was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2014 NFL Draft. Stanton was signed to the Practice Squad in August 2014 but cut on September 16. Stanton earned All-Colonial Athletic Association accolades for recording 56 tackles, 11.5 for loss, 8 sacks in 2013. Stanton has decent size and flashes some ability, but he did not really standout in the 2014 preseason.

Paul Hazel was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. He was claimed by the Browns after the Jaguars waived him and he played in 13 games in 2013 for Cleveland. The Texans then claimed Hazel off of waivers from the Browns in March 2014, but he did not make the team. Hazel is a tall, thin pass rusher.

Rishaw Johnson was signed as a rookie free agent by the Seattle Seahawks after the 2013 NFL Draft. Since then, he has spent time Chiefs (2013), Buccaneers (2014), Cowboys (2014), and Packers (2014). Johnson is a strong player with decent size who needs to improve his pass blocking.

S Antrel Rolle on WFAN Radio: The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN interview with S Antrel Rolle is available at CBS New York

Steve Tisch Comments on the State of the New York Giants: New York Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch spoke to media on Monday at the NFL owners meetings in Florida. Some tidbits from Tisch:

On the team’s approach to the offseason: “When something is a little broken, you have an opportunity to fix it. Everybody at the top levels of ownership, coaching staff and our GM realized we have to go for it. This is an opportunity. Let’s take advantage of it and refocus. Do some restructuring, make changes, some of the changes aren’t always going to be popular, but I think we have created a tremendous sense of excitement and anticipating what this team will be and how well they will perform this season.”

On free agency: “I think the way Jerry Reese has performed during free agency is he’s always looking for value. I think he has a great eye for matching free agents, their talent, and the needs of the New York Giants. I think this season has been an unusually strong example of that because of the amount of players we’ve brought in at this point.”

On Head Coach Tom Coughlin: “(With) a lot of new faces and a lot of new players and a new locker room, I think Tom Coughlin is the guy to get some rookies and some of our new players to really understand how the New York Giants perform as a team, how he wants his locker room to operate, and I think he is the best guy to accept this challenge.”

On what still needs to be done: “With the draft coming up in May, it’s going to be the next wave of how to build the Giants to become even stronger this season and going forward.”

On the departure of so many important players from the Super Bowl teams: “It’s the nature of the business. It’s the way business is run and things change, you have to move on, you can’t look back, you have to look forward. I think this is the season we’re certainly doing that.”

On DE Justin Tuck, who signed with the Oakland Raiders: “It’s not goodbye, I think, and this is me, I think it’s see you soon. You can’t separate New York from Justin Tuck and I don’t think Justin Tuck will separate Justin Tuck from New York…He will definitely come back to the New York-New Jersey area and I think continue to be involved in football. He’s a great guy. His contributions on and off the field are wonderful. The memories he has of his years at the Giants and that John Mara and I have and all the fans have, all the coaches have, are of an exceptional, exceptional player and human being.”

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